Jordan's Story
I was still a kid who deserves to have fun
“I was living in residential care. I’d been in that particular residential home for about a year at the time. It was the fifth residential home I’d lived in in six years.
I was really struggling. I’d just lost two friends. They weren’t just my friends they were my brothers. I knew them from the day I entered care. They knew me so well too. From the first day it was like we were on the same wavelength. They were my brothers.
One of my care workers knew I was struggling, but he didn’t even know how bad it was. He took me out of the home for the afternoon. He brought me lunch and took me to watch him play rugby.
I remember the day so clearly. I remember watching him up run out with his team. I remember watching him score and tackle other players. It was like thunder when he tackled someone. I remember a man behind me going berserk watching the game. It was the funniest thing, I’m quite a quiet person, but during his game I couldn’t help myself but cheer.
Up until that day it was the most fun I’ve ever had.
It was against the rules to introduce young people to your personal life in any way but he was willing to break the rules to help me. He showed me that I was not just a number, not just a case, but was still a kid who deserves to have fun.“
- Jordan’s story, a young person with lived experience of the child protection system including residential care and 11 months in hotels (name changed to protect privacy).